Hinoko no Otome
by Dragon of Venus
Summary: AU When Kagome and her two wicked sisters are invited to a ball hosted by the royal family, the sisters will do anything to keep her from going, a new friend will do anything to get her there, and the prince will do anything to find this mysterious beauty
1. The Red Ribbon Scroll

I've been dying to put this one up. I think you guys are really gonna like it. And if not... pfft.

disclaimer: I own Inuyasha as much as I own Cinderella. and I own Cinderella as much as I own... I dunno, the Great Wall of China. (which, obviously, I don't. so there. nyeh.)

translation: Hinoko no Otome- from what I understand, this is some kind of translation of 'girl of sparks,' which was about as close as I could get to the name 'Cinderella.' so, moving right along...

Hinoko no Otome

by Dragon of Venus

_Chapter One_

The Feudal era of Japan was a difficult time to live in. Some people were fighting wars. Some were at home raising children. Some were even protecting villages from evil, mythical creatures.

Some had it worse. This is one of their stories.

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"KAGOME!"

A teenaged girl walked into the main room of the house by her sister's request. "What?" she groaned.

"Is that any way to talk to me?" the sister snapped. "I'm older than you, Kagome--"

"Yeah, by five minutes!"

Her sister went on as if uninterrupted. "So you'll do as I say!"

_Blah, blah, blah,_ Kagome thought, _Like I don't get this every other day of my life._ She sighed. "So why'd you call me?"

"Oh, right. Well, you see, I noticed we've run out of herbs in the medicine cabinet, so--"

"Say no more." Kagome turned to walk outside when something smacked the back of her head. She turned back and saw a basket on the floor.

"You forgot that," her twin informed her. Kagome glared at her. "Hey, all you said was 'Say no more.' And technically, I didn't say anything, I just--"

"Yeah. I get it." Kagome picked up the basket and left.

"Not bad," said another voice in the house. Kagome's twin, Kikyo, turned around to see the oldest of the three sisters standing behind her.

She stared at her strangely. "What are you talking about, Yura?"

The house's oldest resident smiled at her younger sister. "'Technically, I didn't say anything.' Seriously, sis, that was pretty good."

Kikyo's eyes widened a little. "Really?"

Yura nodded. "I'm impressed."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Hmm... What are we gonna need?_ Kagome thought to herself in the herb garden growing beside the girls' house. _I honestly couldn't care less if those two got sick because of something I might forget. But, they are my sisters. I'm sure they'd kick me out if they wanted to. And if I let them get sick, they'd at least have a reason._ She went on gently picking the small plants and placing them in her basket, when _the_ most unexpected thing happened.

Kagome looked up from the garden hearing a noise, and saw a man in front of her sitting on a horse.

"Do you live here?" the man asked, pointing to Kagome's house.

She rose an eyebrow. Why was it any of this guy's business? "Who wants to know?"

"I do for one thing, and so does the guy that sent me. I'm on business for Lord InuTaisho, so cut me a break, miss. Do ya live here or not?"

Wow. It really amazed Kagome how much patience this guy had. But despite her silent questioning as to whether he really was sent by the lord, she answered him, considering he had at least _attempted_ to be polite. "Yeah, I live here. Why?"

"Then this..." The man took something out of the bag he was carrying, and threw it to Kagome. She caught it, fortunately. "Is yours," he went on, "And be sure any other women you happen to live with see it, too." With that, he left.

Kagome looked down at what she held in her hand. It was a scroll, tied with a red ribbon. For a moment, she wondered if she should show it to Kikyo and--

"Hey, Kagome!" Yura yelled, "Are you gonna come back in some time today?"

She groaned. Sliding the scroll into the bottom of her basket and grabbing another handful of herbs for good measure, Kagome headed back for the house.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What took you?" Kikyo snapped.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Kagome replied. Then she muttered to herself, "Not that you ever do anyway..."

"What was that?" said Yura.

"Nothing," she sighed.

Her sister smiled. "That's what I thought."

Kagome pulled the herbs out of her basket and placed them on the table in the dining room of their small house.Then she turned around with a roll of her eyes, and walked off to her tiny hole in the wall that Yura and Kikyo called her room.Of course, she, however, begged to differ. Then again, it was either the smallest room in the house or sleeping outside in the demon-infested cold.

Hmm, tough decision. (Yeah right.)

So anyway, she crept through the curtain that separated her "room" from the rest of the house and sat down on the side of her bed-- a tiny, scrawny mattress pushed against the corner farthest from the doorway. She reached for her basket when,

"Hi, Kagome!"

She looked up at her window --which Kagome often wondered why she was lucky enough to have-- and saw a small boy with a bushy little tail sitting there.

She smiled. "Oh, hey Shippo."

"So, what's up?"

With a light sigh, she shrugged. "Nothing much." Then she reached into her basket and pulled out the red-ribbon scroll, gazing at it curiously.

"Hey, what is that?" Shippo asked.

"I don't really know..." Kagome then gave the ribbon a gentle tug, and the bow it was tied into came undone. Pulling off the silky red cloth, she carefully unrolled the paper. She took in a breath and her eyes widened as she read it.

"What does it say?" Shippo asked curiously. Kagome was silent, still in amazement. So he hopped off the window and scurried onto her bed."Can I see?" She seemed to nod, and he crawled into her lap and began reading aloud: "You are c-- cr, cu, co, cor, um--"

"Cordially."

"cordially invited to the Imperial Ball, hosted by Lord InuTaisho and the Royal Family."

He looked up at Kagome. All he got was a breathless "...Wow." He then went back to the scroll and continued reading.

"Please arrive at the Palace tomorrow evening no later than moonrise. We can't wait to see you there, and we simply wish for you to have a good time.

"Best Wishes, the Royal Family."

Now it was Shippo's turn: "Wooow." Then he looked up at Kagome and smiled. "Are you gonna wear something pretty?" he asked in a cute tone.

Kagome replied, having apparently come out of her daze. "Well, I guess I should. I mean it is an _Imperial_ Ball and everything." She sighed and rested her head in her hand. "But, I don't think I can go."

Shippo hopped up and jumped back to the windowsill, indicating for Kagome to follow him. She watched as he stood there, brave and triumphant, like a little soldier. "Kagome, don't you always tell me that one day you're gonna stand up to your sisters and tell them to stop bullying you around?"

"Well... yeah, I guess."

"How long are you gonna guess before you know?" he asked as if to be her general in the army.

Kagome looked up at him. "Yeah. You know what, Shippo? You're absolutely right!" She stood up, bravely holding up a fist.

"What're you gonna do, Kagome?"

"Stand up for myself!"

"Who are you gonna stand up to?"

"My sisters!"

"You're gonna walk up to them, look 'em head on, and what're you gonna say?"

"I'm goin' to that Ball and I don't care what you tell me!"

"Why don't you care?"

"'Cause I'm going no matter what, and you can't stop me!"

"Woo-hoo!"

"Kagome?"

Yura!

Kagome suddenly shifted back down. "Quick, Shippo, hide!"

Shippo hopped behind the window in a puff of smoke moments before Yura stepped into the room, looking around suspiciously.

"...I could've sworn I just heard somebody cheer."

"Oh, uh... that was me! Just, uh, cheering myself on, y'know, 'Go me! Woo!'" Kagome sweatdropped.

"M-hm." Yura obviously didn't believe her. She walked over to Kagome's window --the younger girl gasped-- and looked outside. It looked normal enough. Blue sky, green grass, orange-and-blue flower... what?

...Oh well.

She shrugged and stuck her head back in.

The flower sprouted a tail and sweatdropped.

"Phew." Close call.

"I was sure I heard voices," Yura went on.

Kagome laughed, then muttered, "Might be a possibility."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing," she smiled.

Yura narrowed her eyes only a bit at her sister. "Yeah." Suddenly, she noticed Kagome was holding something behind her back. "What is that?" she asked curiously.

"...What's what?" The drop of sweat rolling down Kagome's head was painfully noticeable. She clenched the scroll in her hands, nervous (well, obviously).

Yura shrugged. "Eh... nevermind." She began to walk away. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. All of a sudden, Yura darted back and reached for the scroll. Kagome tried to move aside...

But she wasn't fast enough.

Yura took the scroll and ran away to show it to Kikyo.

XXXXXXXXX

DUN DUN DUN! Gasp! What happens next, you ask? oh, come on, people, have some patience!

but r&r in the meantime: )


	2. The Deal

well, all I have to say is... you're gonna be surprised when you find out who the messenger was (wink wink).

disclaimer: nope. don't own nothin'. (I'm not feeling very creative right now)

_Chapter Two_

"Oh, no way!"

"What is it?"

"Look at this!"

There was a brief silence, then Yura gasped, reading the scroll.

It was just then that Kagome dashed into the living room. "Oh, man," she sighed, a hand to her forehead. She walked over to the other two. "Y'know, the guy gave it to me," she spoke up.

The two looked at her. "What's your point?" asked Kikyo.

Kagome stepped up to them confidently. "I've got just as much of a right to go as you two, maybe even more!"

Yura stepped up to her in response, so her neck was just at Kagome's face. "Is that a fact?"

She opened her mouth, but her voice had disappeared. Kagome began to tremble, the she let her defense down.

Yura smiled. "I didn't think so." She looked back at her other sister. "Kikyo, we should go into the village." Then she turned back and gave Kagome a smug look before she went on. "We need to look nice for the Royal Family." And with a small laugh, the two left.

Kagome dropped to her knees and groaned.

"On second thought, Kagome..."

She looked up, and saw Kikyo standing in the doorway.

"Why don't you come with us?"

Her face lit up. "Really?"

"Of course. I mean, someone has to carry our things. I can't believe Yura and I almost forgot."

Oh yeah. Kagome sighed. "Right." Then she looked to the window. A bushy little tail caught her eye. She turned back to Kikyo. "Just give me a minute to drown my sorrows."

Kikyo smiled. "Glad to see you're getting the idea." Then she went back outside. A second later, Shippo hopped up to Kagome.

"What the heck happened?" he asked her, almost yelling.

Kagome hung her head. "I don't know, I... I just choked," she said softly. "Let me tell ya, Shippo, standing up to those two isn't easy."

"Aw, c'mon! How hard can it be?" he shouted.

Kagome looked at him. "Is that what you think?" she asked. "Then you do it!"

Shippo gulped. "I dunno, Kagome. I've known you for two years now, and I know what your sisters are like. They're pretty scary," he said, shaking.

Kagome rose an eyebrow. "My point exactly."

Now it was Shippo's turn to hang his head, only out of shame. "I'm sorry, Kagome," he sighed.

She stared at him curiously. "What are you sorry for?"

"That I forced you to stand up to your sisters like that," he continued, on the verge of tears.

Now, think about this: A little fox demon whose parents died just before you met him, and since then, he's seemed like a son to you. Now he was about to cry.

Tell me that's not begging for a hug.

"Aw, Shippo..." Kagome picked him up and cradled him in her arms. "You did a good thing," she said softly. "You just wanted me to be brave. There's nothing wrong with that."

Shippo looked up. "R-Really?" he sniffled.

Kagome nodded. "M-hm."

The kitsune wiped a few small tears from his eyes before an idea occured to him. He smiled and hopped out of Kagome's arms. "You better get going, Kagome," he said. "I don't want your sisters to yell again."

She sighed, a sad smile on her face. "Right," she said. Then she grabbed a sack to carry Kikyo and Yura's things in and said goodbye to Shippo before she left.

"Okay," Shippo smiled to himself. "Time to get to work."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm back," the messenger called as he stepped inside the castle.

Lord InuTaisho looked up from his work. "You delivered the invitations, Miroku?" he asked.

Miroku nodded. "Yeah. All five million of 'em," he responded, rubbing his shoulder in fake pain.

The lord's eyes slightly narrowed. "There really aren't that many people in this village, Miroku. And you should be grateful you were given this task. It was either that or cleaning up after the horses again."

Miroku's face brightened. "And what a glorious five million it was!"

InuTaisho sighed. Strange man he hired as a messenger...

"Do I really have to go through with this?" a voice snapped. A moment later, a silver-haired, dog-eared young man walked into the room, being followed by what looked like a flea.

"Master Inuyasha," said the flea, "it is only fitting that a man your age find a suitable woman to marry, especially with you being the lord's son and a--"

"You never shut up, do you?" the boy groaned as he collapsed into a chair.

InuTaisho stood up. "Myoga does have a point, Inuyasha."

"I do?-- Uh, o-of course I do!" the flea stuttered.

Inuyasha looked up at his father questionably. "Which is...?"

"Sooner or later, you'll need to find a wife. Your brother, Sesshomaru, did, and I suggest you follow his example."

Inuyasha growled. Sesshomaru... "Yeah, all the more reason for me _not_ to get married."

"Master Inuyasha, how could you be so thoughtless!" Myoga shouted.

"Myoga," said InuTaisho calmly, "there's no reason to shout. Inuyasha will simply have to face the consequences of not attending the Ball."

Inuyasha shot up. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!" he exclaimed. "What consequences?"

"Well, if you choose to come, you'll inherit your half of the land. However, should you decide not to show up, you lose your inheritance, and Sesshomaru gets not only his half... but yours."

The boy was almost in shock. He honestly didn't know which was worse: Losing his half of the inheritance, or having his jerk of a brother (_half-_brother, by the way) take it from him! That was just cruel!

He put a hand to his head and sighed. "Fine," he huffed. "If I come, and I can at least find a girl that I like --not love, _like_-- then I keep my inheritance. How's that?"

His father thought for a moment before nodding in approval. "Fair enough. You've got a deal."

"Good," Inuyasha sighed, relieved. Then he looked around the room and saw Myoga, his father, and even Miroku (yes, he was still there) were giving him strange looks. "...I-I mean, uh..." There was a long silence before he spoke again, sounding embarrassed. "I'm gonna go now." With that, he left.

"...Awkward," said InuTaisho. Miroku and Myoga immediately agreed.

"Yup."

"Very."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

hmm... seemed kinda short, huh? didn't even realize that. and, yea, this is gonna be an InuKag fic. I'm sure some of you guys were expecting that, but sorry if I disappointed anyone there.

anyway, you know the drill!


	3. Shippo's Plan

I personally found this chapter to be particularly long for some reason...

...meh.

_Chapter Three_

Shippo hit a stand selling fabrics first.

Of course, he had to be careful Kagome and her sisters wouldn't see him. So he ducked behind a hut, pulled out a leaf from the folds of his kimono, and...

POOF!

Out walked a pretty, young girl who couldn't have benn much older than Kagome. The disguised fox-demon took in a deep breath, then let it out as he walked over to the stand mumbling, "Gotta be careful, gotta be careful, gotta be--"

"Can I help you, miss?"

He looked to his side, having just then realized that he was already at the stand. "Oh, yes, um..." he began in his best female voice (which really wasn't all that bad). Then he looked at the fabrics the man was selling, and found the perfect one: red silk with beautifully-desgined dragons dancing about the cloth.

Kagome would love it.

But there was no doubt in Shippo's mind that something like this would cost a fortune. Not to mention he didn't have any money whatsoever. So, he decided to do the only thing a kitsune in his situatuion _could_ do: create a diversion. Question was, how?

Then he saw the vase...

CRASH!

He gasped (still in his girl voice, remember). "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed as he bowed, 'embarrassed.'

"It's fine, nothing to worry about," the man said. Then he bent down behind his counter to pick up the broken pieces of the vase.

Shippo glanced around to make sure no one was looking. Quickly, he grabbed as much of the cloth as he could without the man realizing. Then, he ran.

"Ooh, good save."

"What'd you say, Kikyo?" asked Yura.

"That kid over by the fabric stand," Kikyo explained, "She distracted the guy at the counter and just snagged something and ran."

"Nice."

"Uh, guys?" said a slightly muffled voice. The girls turned around to see a walking pile of clothes, accessories, and other random things come up to them. "A little help?"

"Oh, nice to see you finally caught up with us, Kagome," Yura smiled smugly. Then she held a necklace up against her throat. "What do you think?" she asked.

Kagome was silent in disbelief. "...Hello?! I'm kinda busy!"

Yura didn't respond to this. She just turned to her side. "Kikyo?"

The girl in question smiled in approval. "Perfect."

Yura took her sister's word for it. She paid the woman who had sold her the necklace, then threw it onto the pile, having just missed Kagome's head.

"Hey, is there any chance that you two could carry _something_?" Kagome asked in an annoyed tone, her head popping out from behind the pile. Her sisters stared at her, and she sighed. "I didn't think so."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Stop, thief!"

A young boy rushed through the marketplace, jewelry held tightly in his hand. "Gotta catch me first," he smirked to himself. Then he jumped into a tree and poofed back into Shippo.

"This is easier than I expected," he thought aloud, admiring his stash. "Times like these it's good to be a shapeshifter."

Suddenly he heard something --or someone-- fall, just underneath his tree. Then a very familiar voice snapped, "Kagome, you clumsy little brat!" Shippo peeked through the branches to see a ton of merchandise from the village scattered around Kagome, who lay facedown on the ground in pain. Hovering over her was none other than Kikyo.

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Kagome said as she got up. "If you guys would help me out once in a while, that wouldn't've happened!"

Shippo would have gotten down there and helped her in a second, but considering the window of opportunity that had just opened up to him, he, instead, high-tailed it out of the tree, 'merchandise' and all (in a giant sack that he somehow managed to carry on his back), and ran back to Kagome's house.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"'Bout time we got home," Yura sighed, arriving home with her sisters about twenty minutes later, "I'm exhausted."

"_You're_ exhausted?" Kagome repeated in disbelief. "You're not the family pack mule!" She suddenly stumbled, Kikyo having 'accidentally' bumped into her. She almost tripped over her feet, and the pile she was carrying nearly fell _again._

"Honestly, Kagome, you should be more careful," Kikyo sneered, walking inside.

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "Oh, that's it," she said to herself. Then she caught her balance and started to walk up to Yura and Kikyo, obviously angered, when something else caught her eye: a tuft of red hair sticking out from behind the window. She sighed, then put everything on the table and walked to her room.

"Kagome, where are you going?" Yura asked.

Kagome put a hand to her forehead. Dang it. "I'm just... taking a break. Shopping can take a lot out of you, y'know."

Yura looked at Kikyo, who shrugged in response. "Couldn't hurt," she said.

The older of the two sighed. "Fine, she told Kagome. "Just make it quick."

"I'll try," Kagome replied. She rolled her eyes as she continued to her room. When she got there, she opened the curtain and said softly, "Shippo, what's up--"

She was cut off, however, by said fox demon jumping on her shoulder and covering her eyes. "No, Kagome, don't look yet!" he exclaimed frantically.

"What's going on?" Kagome asked.

Shippo hopped down, but Kagome kept her eyes closed just in case. "I still need to cover it up," he said, throwing Kagome's blanket over "it."

"Shippo..." Kagome said, not sounding all that happy.

"Okay, okay. Open your eyes."

She did so. All she saw was a tall... thing... sticking out of the floor, covered by-- "Is that my blanket?"

Shippo gulped. Maybe he should have just told her to keep her eyes closed. "Th-that's not what I wanted to show you... This is." He pulled off the blanket, and with a cheerful "Ta-da!", he awaited Kagome's response... which really wasn't all that much.

Kagome stared silently at the most beautiful dress she had ever seen in her life: A red, short-sleeved kimono that reached just past her knees, with golden, fire-breathing dragons decorating it that shone in the sunlight. "Sh-Shippo..." she breathed.

The boy couldn't tell whether his friend was happy or upset. So, assuming the worst, he sighed. "It stinks, doesn't it?" he asked sadly.

"Shippo," Kagome repeated. Then she rushed over to him and hugged him, exclaiming, "I love it! Thank you so much!"

He looked up at her, surprised. "Really?"

"Absolutely! Shippo, you're amazing!"

Shippo smiled adorably, happy for both himself, for doing such a good job, and for Kagome, because now that she had something to wear, she could definitely go to the Imperial Ball. "So, are you gonna go now?"

Kagome looked at him and smiled. "Why not?"

"Yes!" Shippo cheered.

"Kagome, what is going on in there?"

Kagome and Shippo's eyes widened. "That's Kikyo!" Kagome whispered. "Shippo, you hide, I'll cover it." She didn't want to say "dress" for fear of her sisters doing something terrible to it if they knew.

"On it," said Shippo. With that, he dove under the sheets of Kagome's bed, and she threw her blanket back over the dress.

"Come on in," she called.

Kikyo stepped through the curtain, giving Kagome a dirty look. "Didn't Yura and I tell you to make it quick? You have other things to do, y'know."

"Uh... right!" said Kagome. "I sure hope my room is clean and free of any mess whatsoever. Because I will be gone for quite a while, and I will be far too tired when I get back to clean it!" She said this ridiculously loudly and clearly so Shippo would hear the hidden message: "Get that dress the heck outta here!"

Shippo feigned a cough, and while doing so, muttered, "Got it!"

Kikyo rose an eyebrow curiously. "What the heck was that?"

"...Me!" Kagome answered somewhat frantically. "My throat's been kinda messin' with me lately. I cough so ya can't even see it, and then it looks like I'm talking all at the same time! Weirdest thing, I tell ya." Her sister stared at her. "...So! Those chores won't do 'emselves, huh?" That being said, she walked past Kikyo and left the room.

Kikyo, however, was staring at that thing popping out of the floor that Kagome had been standing in front of. What the heck was it? _Well,_ she thought, _one way to find out..._

"Kikyo!"

She turned around. There was Kagome, poking her head through the curtain.

"You coming?"

"Uhm... yeah."

An awkward silence filled the room for a moment.

". . . Today?"

"Yes!" Kikyo growled. "Will you get off my back aready?!"

"Okay," Kagome said quickly, before leaving the room once again... and cheering silently. She had just successfully distracted Kikyo long enough for Shippo to sneak himself _and_ the dress away.

Did they make an awesome team or what?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hours after nightfall, Yura lay sound asleep in her bed, when she was suddenly awakened by a hand clamping over her mouth, and an arm pulling her into the hallway. She fought the hand off of her mouth and quietly exclaimed, "What the--" before being shushed by her "capturer." It was then that she realized who the person was.

"...Kikyo?"

"Quiet!" she hissed.

"What are you doing?" Yura whispered.

"Yura, listen to me. Kagome's hiding something from us."

"What?"

"I went in her room today, and she was acting really weird. Like she was trying to keep a secret or something. And she was standing in front of some big thing sticking outta the floor."

Yura raised an eyebrow. "That _does_ sound weird."

"Yeah, I think she's got something that she's hiding! She's holding out on us! Can you believe the nerve of that li--" Kikyo was then cut off by Yura smacking a hand over her mouth.

"Whatever happened to 'Quiet'?"

Kikyo moved her sister's hand and sighed. "Sorry, I just..." She let out a frustrated noise that sounded like a groan. "I don't think I can handle her keeping a secret from us. I mean, she's our little sister, it's our job to mess around with her. If she starts messing with us, it just sort of throws you off, y'know?"

Yura thought about this for a moment. "...I think so."

"Good. Now pay attention, I have an idea."

With that, Kikyo's plot went into action.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

wow, when was the last time I updated this, huh? whatever. anyway, I just (and I mean _JUST_) saw the 4th Inuyasha movie on adult swim. one word: FANTASTIC! love the ending song, too! go DAI!

okay, anyway, Akago & Haku update coming up, too! see ya then!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!


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